The HIR Group

The Medical Writing Ghost of Christmas Future Like the way the first ghost was telling us that we have gotten a little off course, our future is not to better AI, it is to better humanity. A better future for AI does not necessarily mean that humanity will benefit as well. Proponents say that AI will eventually replace human writers. Some go as far as to state that AI is superior in its ability to collect data, to analyze, to perform pattern identification, and to extract output, all without any human intervention.1 The reality is that AI advances are bit by bit and implemented by humans, either improvements in algorithms or minor changes in techniques.2 Can AI help us to do a better job in medical writing? Perhaps, but if you consider that chatbots are not authors and as such cannot be responsible for writing essential content that is needed, then it’s a moot point. Thanks for reading our version of A Medical Writing Christmas Carol. We wish all a Merry Christmas! References: 1.?????Parisis N. Medical writing in the era of artificial intelligence. Medical Writing. 2019;28(4). #artificialintelligence #algorithms #technology 2.?????Heaven WD. Ai is learning how to create itself. MIT Technology Review. June 25, 2021. Accessed December 23, 2023. https://lnkd.in/gbC8eBQP.

The Medical Writing Ghost of Christmas Present We’re in the present, and we’re facing reality to make way for a better future. Consider the new regulations that remind us that the safety of the patient/consumer is paramount. According to this the regulators have added some additional requirements that medical device companies must adhere to. This is evident in the way that the technical documentation must be up to snuff or will be subject to rounds of questioning from the regulatory authorities. However, the current situation is that writers and companies still get it wrong and either overshoot or undershoot the goal. The result is that we all are learning together and waiting to get the bugs out of the system to make way for the ghost of the future.

The Medical Writing Ghost of Christmas Past We need to remember especially around the Christmas Season that we should not forget the ghost of Christmas past, present, and future. Especially, the ghost of Christmas medical writing past as he/she comes as a reminder or warning to remind us of where we came from and how we got here. We should remember the reason we’re here, and that we all have a goal of doing good for others. The patient/consumer does not know about the manufacturing process and the technical documentation if the product is safe and effective or not. And while the good ole days were not so regulated/” red-taped”; we must remember that there is a reason for the new regulations. Consider the not so distant past where PIP breast implants came under fire for containing cheap industrial grade silicone and excessively rupturing. The company squeaked by with inadequate clinical studies and technical documentation and consumers suffered. This is the ghost of medical writing past and the reason for the season of improved regulations: Breast implant scandal: What went wrong? | CNN.1 1. Jones B. Breast implant scandal: What went wrong? CNN. January 27, 2012. Accessed December 3, 2023. https://lnkd.in/gwiEtG6x.

Everything Can Always Be Different in Medical Writing In the world of medical writing, you can work on a different device or document. Sometimes you have new team members or work with the same team. There are lots of creative ideas and collaborations. You may be called in to the headquarters for a big meeting or a company party. You could also find yourself at various conferences. You’re constantly learning about different devices and different diseases. You may find yourself learning about respiratory conditions or the other end of the spectrum, you may find yourself working on devices for hysterectomies. It never gets boring!